Yesterday, on my way home from my doctor appointment and then helping my mom with an important errand, I was stopped at a red light. I had my phone headset on and was about to discuss with A what we should do about dinner (I was over an hour away from home and had had an incredibly long day, really, I just wanted him to step up and say he'd take care of dinner).
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I was the first car stopped at the light, in the center lane, so I had a clear view of the intersection. I screamed (thus the title of this entry). I hung up the phone on A and then as quickly as my shaking fingers allowed, I dialed 911.
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A man lay on the street, unmoving for whole minutes, seemingly 5, but more likely one or two. His bicycle lay a few feet away, his grocery bag next to it, the contents broken and spilling on the asphault. I pulled my car in front of him, amidst much honking and angry drivers who obviously didn't see what happened. I got out of the car, trying to explain to the operator what had happened and explaining which corner of the very busy intersection we were on. The driver of the car had pulled into a parking lot and had come over to help get the man out of the road. The top of his head was bleeding and he couldn't stand, though with a lot of help was able to get out of the road. I helped him out of the road and then got his bicycle onto the sidewalk.
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I couldn't believe how quickly the police and firefighters and then EMT's arrived. Within a minute or two. I moved my car into the parking lot and begged the girls to please just understand that we would be there a bit until I was able to talk to the police. It was all amazingly quick and simple. Too bad there was a man headed to the hospital with who knows what kind of injuries...
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Thank God his body will heal. Thank God it wasn't worse.
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A told me when I got home that he totally flipped out when I hung up on him - he thought maybe someone had wrecked into my car. Luckily, I had the wherewithall to call him when I moved my car into the parking lot so he would know I was okay, but would be a while before I got on the road to come home.
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What a crappy way to start the evening of an already stressful day. The upside? We had dinner out (kids eat free on Tuesdays) and I had a couple beers and then was in bed before 8:30. Aside from waking to empty my bladder, I slept nearly 11 hours straight. But I still feel exhausted.
